3<M 



RECREA TION. 



side of a hill convenient to a tolerably 

 good supply of water. I found the 

 other ambulance safe and F. wondering 

 at my absence. Our tents were soon 

 pitched, beds made, faces washed, 

 water boiling, and we sat down at our 

 camp table, with good appetites, to cold 

 chicken, ham and excellent coffee. 

 After eating we were as amiable and 

 pleased a party as ever dined at the 

 Fifth avenue. 



Sunset saw our mules brought in, 

 our sentinels set — although we are in a 

 well settled country — our babies in bed 

 and ourselves comfortable and visiting 

 among our neighbors, we men, with 

 pipes in our mouths and correspondingly 

 sociable, considering it was the first 

 night in camp. We got everything in 

 tolerable order, and F. spent her first 

 night under canvas without experienc- 

 ing any of the various ills which such an 

 experience is usually supposed to bring 

 about. 



It is sometimes amusing to remark 

 how those unused to life in the open air 

 anticipate the most dire calamities as 

 the results of the first night spent under 

 canvas. They go to bed expecting to 

 wake up with colds, pneumonia, rheu- 

 matism, etc., and are surprised when, on 

 opening their eyes, they discover no 

 traces of any ills, and that they feel clearer 

 headed and fresher than when sleeping in 

 a house. A few days experience in camp, 

 in fair weather, is sufficient to make 

 any one love that mode of living ; 

 but neither life on the plains, nor any 

 where else can be all sunshine. Our 

 first night in camp was followed by the 

 usual results, and the journal goes on : 



On starting in the morning a wagon- 

 master, at F's solicitation, took charge 

 of her team while I drove Mrs. M. 

 down the first hill and then gave the 

 reins to Sullivan, taking a seat along- 

 side of F's driver. After a few lessons 

 from him in the art of driving four-in- 

 hand, I took charge myself and con- 

 tinued to drive all the rest of the day, 

 very much to the satisfaction of all and 

 more especially of myself, as I was able 

 to demonstrate my ability to drive four 

 animals without the . least difficulty. I 

 expect now to drive all the way, and 

 have an idea, should I ever have to 

 leave the army, of turning stage driver 

 in some new country where locomotives 

 are unknown. 



We enjoyed the drive to-day very 

 much, passing through a thickly settled 

 and well cultivated country, where five 

 or six years ago scarcely a vestige of 

 civilization was to be met with, and 

 hardly anything to be seen but herds of 

 buffalo, deer, and bands of wild Indians. 

 Now the country is dotted all over with 

 little shanties which are seen as far as 

 the eye can reach from the top of one 

 of the sloping hills which form the sur- 

 face of the prairie. Scarcely a tree is 

 to be seen, except now and then along 

 the bottom of the valleys where bunches 

 of timber and brush wood mark the 

 positions of streams, in wet weather, 

 or of ponds of water in dry. We 

 camped by 10 o'clock a. m., in a place 

 only about four miles from Atchison, 

 and during the evening received some 

 visitors from the town. 



Soon after getting into camp, I took 

 my gun and Mack (a pointer dog) and 

 started out in search of game ; for 

 although the partridges are all mated 

 and it looks like a shame to shoot them, 

 our necessity knows no law and we must 

 have some fresh meat. I succeeded in 

 bagging five which furnished us a very 

 good lunch for the next day. 



" We had more water during the night 

 than we bargained for, for we were 

 awakened late by the roaring of the 

 wind, the flashes of vivid lightning, and 

 the rolling of heavy thunder. For some 

 time the rain came down in torrents, 

 and the wind blew so hard that I was 

 fearful the tent would not stand. I got 

 up and partly dressed so as to be ready 

 in case everything went by the board, 

 as indeed one of the officers' tents did. 

 We weathered it all safely, however, and 

 got off with nothing more than a bad 

 scare. 



A storm, such as this, adds not only to 

 the discomforts of camp, but its effects 

 run sometimes through several days, for 

 military necessities are supposed to be 

 inexorable and seldom yield to even 

 the earnest prayers of women and 

 children. In consequence, everything 

 had to be packed in the wagons wet, or 

 at least damp, and if the sun does not 

 happen to shine when the camp is next 

 made, the wives and children are apt 

 to think they are sleeping in damp beds. 

 This idea will prevail until the sun does 

 shine, and during these damp days the 

 military despot who has charge has a 



